New York Rangers: Cam Talbot Is Solid Unlike Rest Of the Team

By Steven Carollo

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

New York Rangers‘ 26-year-old rookie goaltender Cam Talbot made his first career NHL start against the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night. While he played very good and solid, the rest of the team did very little to nothing to help him out.

The Rangers lost 2-1, dropping to a putrid 2-6 record with a total of four points on the season. Besides Brad Richards, who scored the Rangers’ only goal, Talbot was the only other bright spot for the Rangers in that game. It’s sad since he played like an experienced veteran while 98 percent of the team is currently playing like they have never seen a hockey rink in their entire lives.

Talbot faced 27 shots and stopped 25, and the only two goals he surrendered to the Flyers were both on Rangers’ giveaways. The first was on a shorthanded 2-on-1 and the other was after a failed clearing attempt from the Rangers in their own zone. Honestly, I thought Talbot played well enough to have a shutout victory and yet because of the skaters on this team, he received neither and instead got a loss.

So where do I see Talbot’s future with the Rangers you ask?

Well right now, I am still very unclear on what the Rangers will eventually decide to do with him. The organization seems to be high on this kid. With Henrik Lundqvist becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season, I can see two possible options. Option 1, if Talbot continues to perform well that he could be traded to a playoff contending team that desperately needs starting goaltending for a skilled forward. Or Option 2, if the Rangers and Lundqvist can not come to a new deal at some point during this season then, to the dislike of many Rangers’ fans, Lundqvist will be traded for skilled players and draft picks and as a result would make Talbot the Rangers new goalie of the future.

As of right now, I still think Option 1 is the bigger possibility, but the way the Rangers are playing right now, do not be shocked if Option 2 becomes a reality.

Steven Carollo is a New York Rangers’ and sports writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, add him on Facebook, connect with him on LinkedIn and join his Google network.